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From: Ephraim Frank
To: heb_roots_chr@hebroots.org
Subject: Parashat B?aha?lotcha

Hebrew Insights into Parashat B'aha'lotcha: Numbers 8 - 10

Parashat B'aha'lotcha is packed with a variety of issues, commencing with the lighting of the menorah. Thus in 8:2 we read YHVH's instructions to Moshe: "When you raise (literal translation) the lamps....", being the words that the portion is named after. The sanctification and service duties of the Levites is the next topic, and provision for keeping Pesach, for those unable to celebrate it on its given date, follows. The instructions are now intercepted by a narrative passage describing the cloud and its 'function' along the journey, with more instructions being added, this time concerning the two silver trumpets that were to be instrumental in rounding up the camp of Israel (as well as having other purposes). A list of the heads of the tribes of Israel, as they were coming out of the wilderness of Sinai, is next, while at the same time the text discusses the departure of Moshe's father-in-law (here called Chovav). Chapter 11, almost in its entirety, is devoted to the story of the Israelites' gluttony and desire for meat. An episode describing the bequeathing of a "portion" of Moshe's spirit to the seventy elders is then related, with the final scene being the story of Miriam and Aharon's complaint against their brother, resulting in Miriam's leprosy, (chapter 12).

The Levites' purification rite entailed the sacrificing of two young bulls, while the Levites themselves were to be "brought near" (the infinitive form being "le'hakriv", which also means to "sacrifice or offer") before YHVH. At that point, "the sons of Israel" had to "put [or "lay"] their hands upon the Levites" (8:10). It was only then (v. 12) that the Levites could lay hands on the two bulls; one designated as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering. In Parashat Tetzaveh (Ex. 27:20 - 30:10, in 29:10 ff.), we looked at this "laying of hands", which is "samoch" (s.m.ch, samech, mem, kaf/chaf), with the primary meaning of the verb being to "lean upon". The "laying of hands", as is seen preformed here by the priests, (as well as in Parashat Tetzaveh) denotes identification with the sacrifice, which is about to give up its life in ultimate submission. Interestingly, as the People of Israel "leaned" on the Levites, the latter vicariously carried their sins, just before their own sins were transferred on to the bulls (v. 12).

Aside from reference to the laying, or the putting of hands for atoning purposes, "hands" as well as other body parts are mentioned a number of times in our Parasha. Let us look at the handling of this imagery, especially in the instances when identical images are juxtaposed, and consider how this literary device contributes to the descriptions in which it is employed, and whether it also conveys a message, however subtly.

In 11:23, when Moshe displays some doubts as to YHVH's ability to provide an entire nation with meat, he hears: "Has YHVH's hand become short?" (Italics added). However, in other instances it is Moshe's hand that is mentioned...in connection with YHVH's mouth. In 9:20 & 23; 10:13 it says, regarding the desert travels: "At the command - Hebrew: by the mouth - of YHVH they encamped, and at the command - by the mouth - of YHVH they traveled. They kept the charge of YHVH at the command - by the mouth - of YHVH, [and] by the hand of Moses" (italics added). Notice that the mouth of Adoni represents the charge, but that its execution is symbolized by the hand. Thus, Moshe's aforementioned doubt raises the question: if Moshe's hand is 'long enough' to carry out YHVH's word, is it at all possible that YHVH Himself is not able to implement that which He had set out to do?

When Miriam and Aha'ron try to malign Moshe, YHVH, while scolding them, also points out that with His servant Moshe He "speaks mouth to mouth" (12:8 italics added). Thus, YHVH's authority is signified by the usage of the noun "mouth", which lends an extra emphasis to His Word and to what it implies. The "nose" is also mentioned here several times. YHVH had cause to be angry at the Israelites more than once in the course of our Parasha, as we see in 11:1 where His anger is kindled against them. This "kindling" here, and also in 12:9 (the episode with Miriam and A'ha'ron), is described as taking place in the nose. The anger that "burned in YHVH's nose" was caused by the People's over-desire for meat. YHVH, therefore, promises to provide them, for a period of one whole month, with so much meat..."until it comes out of your noses" (11:20, literal translation, italics added). The Israelites' certainly elected to 'butt noses' with the wrong Person! 

It is a well-known fact that the eating process starts with the eyes. In 11:6 the people murmur: "But now our soul is dried away; there is nothing at all besides this manna before our eyes" (italics added). The text continues to convey to us that "the manna was like coriander seed, and the color of it was like the color of bdellium", with the word for "color" being "eye". And
so, the consumers' (i.e. the Israelites') eyes looked 'into' the 'eyes' of the food that was handed them, but they did not like what they saw! Just before that, when Moshe's father-in-law expresses his desire to depart to his own land, Moshe, pleading with him, says, "... you were to us for eyes", meaning 'you directed and helped us find our way in the wilderness'. Clarity, direction and care are conveyed (symbolically) by the one 'set of eyes' (Chovav's, or better known as Yitro), while the eyes of the People of Israel only made them blind to the generosity and care that was granted them so freely by their heavenly Father.

It is interesting that this Parasha deals with the departure of Moshe's father-in-law, who in Parashat Yitro (Ex. 18:13-27) advised Moshe to lighten up his load by sharing his duties and delegating authority. Likewise, it is in our Parasha that seventy elders are appointed, as a result of Moshe's complaint (ref. 11:14), to help him perform his tasks.

Another body part, mentioned in Parashat B'aha'lotcha, is "bone". In the first part of chapter 9 we read about the Pesach sacrifice that is to be offered on the 14th of the second month (for those not able to do so on the first month). As in the case of the former (Pascal sacrifice), here too - none of its bones were to be broken (9:12). The word for "bone" is "etzem", whose root is a.tz.m (ayin, tzadi, mem). These three letters are shared by words such as "forceful demand" or "protest" ("atzuma" ref. Is. 41:21), "great, greatness, or might", such as is in the promise regarding Avraham's seed, which was destined to be a "great and mighty nation" (Gen. 18:18). "Multiplication" is another derivative of the same root, seen in Yirmiya'hu (Jeremiah) 5:6. In T'hilim (Psalms) 40:12 it is used for the "increase" of hair. "Strength" that is rendered as "otzem", and "otzma" - are other derivatives of the same root. At the same time a.tz.m also means the "essence of something," or "the very same", such as in the oft-used expression "the very or selfsame". In carrying the marrow, the bone is indeed the bearer of the very essence of life, although in a relatively minute form. Yet out of this substance "strength, power, and greatness" emanate, and, by implication, also "increase", both in size and number. The usage of these terms not only discloses surprising anatomical knowledge, but it also evidences that the Hebrews must have been cognizant of the modern concept of a minuscule nucleus that has a tremendous (sometimes latent) potential and an (explosive) force, such as is seen in the atom for example (and recognizable, of course, also in the 'seed principle').

The first part of chapter 10 deals with the silver trumpets, and their various uses. "Silver" is "kesef", of the root k.s.f (kaf, samech, pey/fey), and has also come to be the generic word for "money". The same root also serves the verb for "longing, yearning or desiring" (e.g. Gen. 31:30; Zeph. 2:1; Ps. 17:12; Job 14:15). Was it the longing for the pale precious metal that has given rise to this verb?

At the heart of the Parasha, in 10:35 & 36, we read the following powerful, vigorous and prophetic proclamation: "And it happened when the ark pulled up, Moses said, Rise up, YHVH, and let Your enemies be scattered, and let those who hate You flee before You. And when it rested, he said, Return, O YHVH, to the many thousands of Israel." Interestingly, upon YHVH's rising the enemy has to flee, but His "rest" marks the returning and the restoration of Israel, and therefore their reconciliation with Elohim. This is all the more emphatic because the word for "return" - "shuva" - is reminiscent of "shev", which means to "sit" (and related to "Shabbat"), thus connecting Israel's "return" to YHVH's "rest". "Shuv" may also be associated with "shevi" - "captivity", as is seen, for example in the alliteration employed in T'hilim (Psalms) 126, where we read the plea: "Return YHVH our captivity", which in Hebrew is, "shuva shvee'teynu".

In the course of Moshe's complaint - chapter 12:11-15, concerning his burdensome task, he bemoans his lot and addressing YHVH he asks rhetorically: "Have I conceived all this people? Did I bring them forth, that You should say to me, Carry them in your bosom like a nursing father carries the sucking child, to the land which You swore to their fathers?" (v.12). "Nursing father" is a translation of "ommen", whose root is, a.m.n (alef, mem, noon). One of the earliest references, in the Tanach (Old Testament) to this root is found in Shmot (Exodus) 17:12: "But Moses' hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat on it; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun." This, of course, is the description of the war with Amalek. The word for "steady" is "emuna", which is also the common word for "faith" and "trust." Indeed, a great act of faith was displayed there, in the wilderness of Refidim, where a bitter foe was defeated by simply lifting up the tired hands of an elderly man.

Moshe, A'haron and Chur, and certainly Yehoshua, who was conducting the battle against the enemy, were faithful (i.e."ne'emanim"), being another of this root's derivatives, (see Prov. 27:6 for example) in the practice of their faith. In the post-biblical developments of the Hebrew language, use was made of this root for the creation of the verb "le'hit'amen" which means to "practice", and the nouns "me'yoo'ma'noot" for "proficiency"; "amanoot" for "art", and "oom'noot" for "craft or craftsmanship". Hence an "artist" (see Son. of Sol. 7:1) is an "aman", and an "artisan" is an "oo'man", all of which express the need for faith to be active and manifest through action (James 1:22; 2).

However, the primal meaning of the root a.m.n., is to "confirm" and to "support," from which stem verbs such as to "nourish," to "bring up," and to "nurse." Examples of this are found in Shmuel Bet (2nd Samuel) 10:1 & 5, as we also saw in the above text (Num. 12:11-15). Of Naomi (Ruth 4:16), it is said that "she took the child... and became a nurse unto it" (italics added), and of Mordechai it is written (in Est. 2:7) that "he brought up... Esther... for she had neither father nor mother " (italics added). The word there, as it is in the other references too, is "ommen"(mascuine gender) and "ommenet" (feminine). In the description of Wisdom-personified, found in Mish'ley (Proverbs) 8, Wisdom - God's "delight" - is said to have been "brought up" -"amon" by Him. This terminology is also used in the Hebrew translation of Galatians 3:24, for "schoolmaster," or "tutor," in reference to the role of the Torah in bringing us up and leading us (faithfully, we may add), to the Messiah.

Thus, a faithful tutor can truly ("oomnam", ref. Gen. 18:13) be trusted ("ne'eman") to lead his or her prot=E9g=E9 on to the path of faith ("emuna"). The exhortation in Divrey Hayamim Bet (2nd Ch.) 20:20, to "believe - "ha'aminu - in YHVH...," is followed by the promise: "and you will be confirmed" ("te'amnu") . Avraham "believed in YHVH and He counted it to him as righteousness," it says in B'resheet (Genesis) 15:6. It is here that the root a.m.n makes its first appearance in Scripture. Having faith in YHVH is what constituted Avraham righteous. It follows, therefore, that those who are likewise constituted righteous, "will [also] live by faith, (Hab. 2:4), having a God whose "faithfulness is unto all generations," (Ps. 119:90). AMEN (a.m.n)?

The process of associative thought that is found in sequential passages, such as we have already observed in this Parasha, is also evident in 11:24-30 and in its subsequent verses, 11:31-35, although being far apart thematically. When the seventy elders were gathered by Moshe, YHVH "took of the spirit - ru'ach - which was on the latter and placed it on them". It was thus that they were enabled to function in their newly bestowed roles. Immediately following this episode, in the last part of chapter 11, we read, "And a wind - ru'ach - went forth from YHVH. And it cut off quails from the sea and let them fall by the camp..." (v.31). Since "ru'ach" is both spirit and wind, this reference to YHVH setting up a team of elders endowed by the Spirit is not coincidentally followed by YHVH 'employing' the ru'ach once again, for a totally different purpose, and thus calling our attention to His total control over all matters.

Another word connecting these two passages is the verb "asof", which is to "gather". But while in the first section we read about Moshe "gathering the elders", a much different picture follows, with the people of Israel gathering the quail. Another "gathering" (ref. 11:4) was that of the "mixed multitude" who are described as lusting for the meat in 11:4. Mixed multitude is "asafsoof", which is another derivative of the root a.s.f. - "gather or collect". At the very end of our Parasha we read about Miriam, who was quarantined for a week (12:15) following her leprosy. After being kept at a distance from the camp, Miriam was "brought in" - or literally, "gathered" (12:15) - so that the people could continue on their journey.

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From: Ephraim Frank
To: heb_roots_chr@hebroots.org
Subject: Parashat Sh'lach Le'cha

Hebrew Insights into Parashat Sh'lach Le'cha- Numbers 13 - 15

"And YHVH spoke to Moses, saying, 'Send men for you, and they shall spy out the land of Canaan...one man, every one a leader among them'" (Num. 13:1). Being into their second year of wandering in the desert, it was time for the Israelites to 'touch base' with the Promised Land. The twelve leaders of the tribes were commissioned "to spy it out". However, an assignment of this sort typically has the potential of becoming multi-facetted, turning in various directions, as the verb itself for "spying out" - "tour" - implies. Aside from "spying out", "tour" also means to "observe, seek, search, reconnoiter, explore, examine and follow". However, "tour's" primal meaning is to "turn".

In the middle of last week's Parashat B'ha'alotcha we read: "And they set forward from the mount of YHVH three days' journey; and the ark of the covenant of YHVH went before them three days' journey, to seek out a resting-place for them" (10:33 italics added). We are thus informed that before any "touring" could take place, before any human reports could be filed, it was first and foremost YHVH Himself who did the "seeking" - "la'tour" - of a resting place for His people. It would appear therefore that this resting place, provided for them, would also serve as a launching pad for the group. Let us, then, follow this band on their physical and spiritual journey.

Which way will the twelve turn, as they set forth on their "touring" mission? Will theirs be a journey of real exploration, a seeking out of YHVH's face and a clinging to Him when faced with challenges (of which there will be no shortage in the new territory)? Will they see the land from His point of view, or will their experience prove to be a mere sightseeing tour, scanning the land for its 'attractions' and expressing dissatisfaction if their expectations are not met?

When YHVH tells Moshe to send the twelve He says, "shla'ch le'cha", meaning "send forth for yourself...",1 recalling to mind a similar, and likewise vigorous call many years beforehand. "Lech le'cha", or "go forth (for yourself)" (Gen. 12:1), were the words Avraham was sent forth with, from his "land and from [his] kindred, and from [his] father's house" and went to "the land which [YHVH had shown him]". Both dispatches are marked by a certain sense of expediency and urgency to "get going". The first 'send off' was followed implicitly, resulting in a successful mission, despite a number of setbacks. Although living as a nomad, Avraham was no "tourist" in the Promised Land. He took YHVH at His word, to "rise up, walk through the land, in its length and in its breadth, for I will give it to you" (Gen. 13:17). When Moshe heard the words "sh'lach le'cha", the centuries-old story of the father of the Hebrew nation must have resounded in his heart. What wouldn't he have given to be numbered among the twelve! What, then, does he have in mind when he repeats YHVH's instruction to "sent them to spy out, to examine, to check - "la'tour" - the land of Canaan..."(v.17)? Moshe specifies: "And you shall see the land, what it is, and the people who are living on it, whether it is strong or feeble; whether it is few or many; and what the land is... whether good or bad; and what are the cities... whether in camps or in fortresses; and what the land is, whether it is fat or lean; whether wood is in it or not" (v. 18-20). Moshe is seeking information of facts and figures (necessary for a strategic purpose and not for scrutinizing God's plan for the nation of Israel).

But, regardless of what that intelligence will turn out to be, the bottom line, according to him, is: "And you shall make yourselves strong and shall take of the fruit of the land" (v. 20, italics added). Paraphrased, Moshe's words may sound something like this, "If you rely on YHVH's strength and on the power of His might, you shall partake of the fruit of the land". This appears, then, to be the nature of the "tour" that Moshe had intended for the dozen leaders to take.

The Biblical narrative elaborates on the mission, and so we read on: "And they went up and spied out the land...And they returned from spying out the land at the end of forty days...And they reported to him... " (13:21, 25, 27 italics added). The faithful messengers apparently did according to Moshe's bidding, and in addition also found the land to be "flowing with milk and honey", evidence of which was the fruit that they had picked and which they brought to Moshe, just as he had asked them to do. So far so good...

But what started out as a promising report suddenly came to a screeching halt: "e'fes" ! "E'fes", translated "but" or "however", is followed by the envoys' very negative descriptions. The literal meaning of "e'fes" is to "cease or come to an end", and hence "extremity" ("ends of the earth", Duet. 33:17), "naught or nothing" (Is. 34:12), and "only", which is actually the way it is used in our text. "E'fes" turns what promised to be a positive report into an extremely negative one. Verse 30 depicts a conflict of opinions, as Calev (Caleb) "[stills] the people", assuring them of their ability to take the land.

But when the evil reporting does not stop, "Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, of those who spied out the land, tore their garments; And they spoke to all the congregation of the sons of Israel, saying, 'The land into which we passed, to spy it out, is an exceedingly good land'" (14:6,7 italics added). The eyes of these two devoted witnesses had seen something altogether different when they made their "tour" of the Land of C'na'an. Evidently they were of "another spirit" (v. 24), and thus both of them were to be rewarded by being brought into the land and by possessing it (ref. v. 23, 30). As for the rest, their punishment was pronounced by YHVH: "By the number of the days in which you spied out the land, forty days, a day for a year, a day for a year; you shall bear your iniquities forty years..." (v.34). The "tour" of the other ten resulted in what became for the people of Israel an aimless wandering 'tour' of the wilderness, and in their own deaths by a plague (ref. v.37).

By following their own hearts and inclinations these leaders, who had been granted the privilege of walking ahead of the nation, brought calamity not only upon themselves, but also upon the entire nation. This type of "going about after your own heart and your own eyes after which you go astray" (15:39, italics added) is, once again, defined by the verb "tour". Thus, at the very end of Parashat Shla'ch Le'cha, provision is made against the inherent condition of following, or going about after one's own heart. Hence the "tzitzit", or "fringes", are introduced, "that you may look on it and remember all the commandments of YHVH, and do all my commandments and be holy to your God" (v. 40). Appended to this injunction are the words, "I am YHVH your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God. I am YHVH your God" (v. 41), "Who goes before you in the way to seek out ["la'tour"] a place for your camping, in fire by night, to show you the way in which you should go, and in a cloud by the day" (italics added. Deut. 1:33, ref. also Ezekiel 20:6), as we also saw above (in last week's Parasha). Ultimately, for all of our own seeking, searching and exploration - our so-called touring expeditions - it is He who goes before us to "seek out - 'tour' - a place and a rest for us, so that we, in turn, may turn to Him.

Note: The English words "turn" and "tour" are derivatives of the Hebrew "tour", which we have just examined, having found their way to the English language via the Old French "tourner", meaning "to turn" (ref. The Word, Isaac E. Mozeson, Shapolsky Publishers, New York, 1989).

1 David Stern elaborateson the meaning, and translates the phrase as, "send on your behalf", Complete Jewish Bible, Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc. Clarksville, Maryland, U.S.A., Jerusalem, Israel.

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